Ellis was shot and killed early Saturday morning when he got out of his patrol car to remove debris from the Bluegrass Parkway.

Investigators believe he was the intended target, but right now there are no suspects or motive.

"It means a lot. I mean, I can't say how much it has meant to us, just to see the honor that has been shown to him and the support," Ellis' widow, Amy, said Tuesday.

That support grew even more on Wednesday, as crowds lined up to pay their respects before the doors to the church opened.

"Ever since this happened, I have been praying for the family and everything," said Barbara Kenser, who knows the family.

Bardstown is such a small community, nearly everyone who spoke to WLKY on Wednesday said they either knew Ellis or knows someone who did.

The funeral figures to be one of the most emotional days in this city's history.

"He deserves anything that anybody in this town can do for him," said Bardstown resident Michelle Porter

Members of the community placed large American flags around the town square and throughout downtown Bardstown.

It was one of the many ways the city has been transformed in anticipation of Ellis' funeral.

"I was almost in tears seeing it. I'm glad everyone is coming together. It kind of makes me want to be out there helping," said resident Jami Rogers.

Several businesses in town changed their message boards, expressing love and sympathy for the Ellis family.

Virtually every downtown business had a picture of the fallen hero in their windows.

One went a step further, creating a wreath in honor of the K9 officer.

"It gives us a little comfort to be there and help support the family and friends and it helps us too, to try to heal a little bit," said resident Lois Wimsatt

Police officers from across Kentucky, Indiana and Ohio were in the crowd as well, including Sheriff Darrell Mills from Floyd County, Ind.

"I lost Officer Frank Denzinger in the line of duty in a somewhat similar situation," Mills said. "For me to be able to come and pay my respects is an honor to the family and to Mr. Ellis for the job he did as a police officer, so there was no hesitation in coming here whatsoever."

Some who attended didn't know Ellis at all.

Larry Eckhardt drove from Illinois to put 2,300 flags up from the church to the cemetery.

He won't make a penny, and that's the way he likes it.

"This is just my way of saying, 'Thanks,'" Eckhardt said.

He said he wants the fallen officer's family to know Ellis deserves to be remembered as an American hero who died serving his community.

"What else can you give them but a memory that the community came together and said, 'Thank you,'" Eckhardt said.

The amount of reward money has reached $43,000 for information about the killer, including Bardstown Mayor Bill Sheckles' pledge of $10,000 from city funds.

“Bardstown is a very caring community. We look after our own and we just want to thank everybody personally,” said Sheckles.

Visitation for Ellis was from 2-8 p.m. at Parkway Baptist Church on Springfield Road in Bardstown. His funeral is Thursday at 11 a.m.

After the funeral, there will be a procession to the Highview Cemetery in Chaplin, Ky.

The community is encouraged to line the procession route with signs and flags.

"Downtown, the businesses are shutting down, people are going to be lining the streets as far up as they can. People are going to holding flags, signs, anything," said Bardstown resident Michelle Porter.

Ellis will be laid to rest seven years to the day after he joined the Bardstown Police Department.

WHILE POLICE CONTINUE TO LOOK FOR NEW LEADS IN THE MURDER OF BARDSTOWN POLICE OFFICER JASON ELLIS... TODAY, DROVES OF PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER CAME TO PAY TRIBUTE TO HIS SERVICE, AND SACRIFICE. ELLIS' VISITATION WRAPPED UP EARLIER THIS EVENING AT PARKWAY BAPTIST CHURCH IN BARDSTOWN. THAT'S WHERE WLKY'S DREW DOUGLAS HAS A LOOK AHEAD TO TOMORROW'S FUNERAL. BARDSTOWN IS SUCH A SMALL COMMUNITY...NEARLY EVERYONE I'VE SPOKEN TO SAYS THEY EITHER KNEW OFFICER JASON ELLIS...OR KNOW SOMEONE WHO DID. THE FUNERAL FIGURES TO BE ONE OF THE MOST EMOTIONAL DAYS IN THIS CITY'S HISTORY. NATS OF FLAGS 17:48:50-53 "He deserves anything that anybody in this town can do for him." Michelle Porter 17:55:06-10 MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY PLACED LARGE AMERICAN FLAGS AROUND THE TOWN SQUARE...AND THROUGHOUT DOWNTOWN BARDSTOWN. IT WAS ONE OF THE MANY WAYS THE CITY HAS BEEN TRANSFORMED IN ANTICIPATION FOR THE FUNERAL OF OFFICER JASON ELLIS. "I was almost in tears seeing it. I'm glad everyone is coming together. its kind of makes me want to be out there helping." Jami Rogers/Bardstown Resident 18:26:15-22 SEVERAL BUSINESSES IN TOWN CHANGED THEIR MESSAGE BOARDS...EXPRESSING LOVE AND SYMPATHY FOR THE ELLIS FAMILY. VIRTUALLY EVERY DOWNTOWN BUSINESS HAD THIS PICTURE OF THE FALLEN HERO IN THEIR WINDOWS. ONE WENT A STEP FURTHER...CREATING THIS WREATH IN HONOR OF THE K-9 OFFICER. "It gives us a little comfort to be there and help support the family and friends and it helps us too, to try to heal a little bit." Lois Wimsatt??? 16:33:29-38 ONCE THE FUNERAL IS FINISHED...A MORE THAN 15 MILE PROCESSION WILL TRAVEL ALONG THIS ROUTE TO ELLIS' FINAL RESTING PLACE....AT THE HIGH VIEW CEMETERY IN CHAPLIN, KENTUCKY. THE BARDSTOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT IS ENCOURAGING THE PUBLIC FILL UP THE STREETS. THE DOWNTOWN AREA IS EXPECTED TO BE PACKED. "Downtown, the businesses are shutting down, people are going to be lining the streets as far up as they can. People are going to holding flags, signs, anything." Michelle Porter/Bardstown Resident 17:55:28-39 TAG: ELLIS WILL BE LAID TO REST SEVEN YEARS TO THE DAY THAT HE JOINED THE BARDSTOWN POLICE DEPARTMENT. THE FUNERAL BEGINS AT 11 A-M. WE'LL HAVE FULL COVERAGE ON WLKY AND WLKY DOT COM REPORTING IN BARDSTOWN...DREW DOUGLAS...WLKY NEWS. THANKS DREW... THIS IS A MAP OF THAT FUNERAL PROCESSION ROUTE. IT WILL BEGIN AT PARKWAY BAPTIST...GO PAST THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND OLD COURTHOUSE..AND THROUGH THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT. THEN THE PROCESSION WILL TAKE HIGHWAY 245 AND 62 TO HIGHVIEW CEMETERY FOR THE BURIAL. AGAIN, THE COMMUNITY IS ENCOURAGED TO LINE THE PROCESSION ROUTE...AND TO DISPLAY SIGNS AND FLAGS HONORING OFFICER ELLIS. ELLIS WAS GUNNED DOWN ON AN EXIT RAMP FROM THE BLUEGRASS PARKWAY EARLY SATURDAY MORNING. INVESTIGATORS SAY IT APPEARS HE WAS TARGETED...AND AMBUSHED. A REWARD OF 43-THOUSAND DOLLARS IS BEING OFFERED TO HELP CATCH THE KILLER. BARDSTOWN POLICE WILL HOLD A NEWS CONFERENCE TOMORROW MORNING TO ANNOUNCE A SIGNIFICANT